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India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unexpectedly lost its outright majority in the recent general election, ending a decade of single-party dominance and forcing Prime Minister Narendra Modi to rely on coalition partners. This significant shift means Modi's third term will require a more consultative approach, as key allies now hold crucial leverage in forming the government.
The European Central Bank (ECB) made a landmark decision on Thursday, implementing its first interest rate cut since 2019 by lowering its key refinancing rate by 25 basis points to 4.25%. This pivotal move signals growing confidence in controlling inflation across the Eurozone, though the ECB maintains a data-dependent and cautious stance, emphasizing that future adjustments are not guaranteed.
Israel's Supreme Court has issued a landmark unanimous ruling, ending decades of military exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men and mandating their conscription into the IDF. This pivotal decision, made amid ongoing war and military manpower shortages, threatens to destabilize the government coalition and reshape Israeli society by enforcing equality in national service.
Apple officially unveiled "Apple Intelligence" at its annual WWDC, marking a significant entry into generative AI seamlessly integrated across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. This comprehensive suite promises advanced writing tools, sophisticated image generation, and a more powerful Siri, all while prioritizing user privacy through on-device processing and Private Cloud Compute.
France's far-right National Rally is currently leading polls for snap parliamentary elections, triggered by President Macron after his party's significant defeat in recent European Parliament elections. This sudden political upheaval has sent shockwaves across Europe and financial markets, setting the stage for a tense three-way contest culminating in two rounds of voting on June 30 and July 7.
Concluding their summit, G7 leaders delivered a unified and stern warning to China, directly challenging its "unfair" trade practices and industrial overcapacity that distort global markets and harm international competitors. This collective declaration also highlighted serious concerns over Beijing's support for Russia and its human rights record, signaling a significant escalation in the G7's coordinated international front against China.
G7 leaders have reached a landmark agreement to provide Ukraine with a $50 billion loan, aiming to bolster its defense and reconstruction efforts amidst ongoing conflict. This crucial financial package will be repaid using profits generated from frozen Russian sovereign assets, offering long-term, sustainable support and sending a unified message to Moscow.
Labour has unveiled an ambitious plan to tackle the soaring NHS waiting lists, pledging 40,000 extra weekend appointments weekly to significantly reduce the current backlog of 7.54 million routine appointments. This initiative, funded by closing tax loopholes like non-dom status, aims to address a critical concern for voters ahead of the UK general election.
A dangerous, record-breaking heat wave is currently scorching vast areas of the United States and Europe, triggering critical health warnings and unprecedented temperatures. This extreme weather event is fueling devastating wildfires, straining infrastructure, and is largely attributed by experts to the accelerating impacts of climate change.
After months of transmitting garbled data, NASA's 46-year-old Voyager 1 spacecraft has triumphantly resumed full operations, once again sending valuable science data from all its instruments. This monumental recovery, achieved by ingenious engineers from billions of miles away, allows humanity's most distant emissary to continue its unprecedented study of interstellar space.
Donald Trump is scheduled for a crucial pre-sentencing interview with a probation officer, a standard yet unprecedented step following his historic conviction on 34 felony counts. This interview will provide vital information to Judge Merchan before his July 11 sentencing, which could range from probation to prison and carries immense implications for his presidential campaign.
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously rejected a challenge to the FDA's regulations for the abortion pill mifepristone, ensuring its continued nationwide availability. This pivotal decision found that anti-abortion doctors lacked legal standing to sue, thereby preventing a major restriction on abortion access and maintaining the status quo for medication abortion.